WATCH: Purdue's Braden Smith Beats the Buzzer at Halftime vs. Iowa
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Braden Smith gave No. 7 Purdue a huge boost of momentum heading into the locker room in Tuesday night's matchup against Iowa. The junior guard hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to tie the game at 36-36 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa missed a shot with less than 10 seconds remaining in the first half. Purdue's Myles Colvin collected the rebound and got the ball in the hands of Smith. The junior guard then got down the court and knocked down a pull-up 3-pointer as time expired, tying the game.
It was a positive ending to an ugly half for the Boilermakers.
Braden at the BUZZER 🔥 @3bradensmith doing what he does best for @BoilerBall heading into the half pic.twitter.com/HqI1Aoqlkr
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 5, 2025
Smith ended the half with 13 points, three rebounds and an assist. He was one of two Boilermakers to reach double figures in the first half, along with Trey Kaufman-Renn. The junior forward had 12 points in the first half, but was stapled to the bench because of early foul trouble.
Purdue won eight-of-nine games in January and was looking to build off a strong month and keep pace with Michigan State in the Big Ten standings.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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